1. Field of the Invention
The present invention refers to an electrical connector element for conductors with crimped contacts.
2. Description of the Related Art
As is known, electrical connectors are generally composed of a pair of connector elements. Each connector element comprises an insulated body (commonly known as connector body) wherein are mounted the respective contacts (male and female) which are connected to electrical cables with one of the various connection technologies available, such as screw, spring, insulation piercing and crimping.
In crimping connection technology, the top portion of the contact is crimped, by means of an appropriate crimping tool, to the end of the wires of the electrical cable, so as to form an optimal electrical contact. Crimping is the preferred connection technology in professional and military applications, where the connection must stand up to strong mechanical stresses (impacts and vibrations) and to aggressive atmospheres. Once the contact has been crimped with the electrical cable, it is inserted into its housing in the connector body.
Therefore, for connectors with crimped contacts, a factor of particular importance is retention of the contacts in the connector body during coupling with the other electrical connector element and in the event of stresses (tractions and/or rotations) on the cables, which are transmitted to the contacts.
In the connector elements of the prior art, locking of crimped contacts takes place by means of a spring (generally of steel or of plastic) disposed inside the connector body. Said spring is elastically deformed during insertion of the contact and then it returns to its original shape, retaining the contact in its housing. Said contact locking system presents some drawbacks:
Variation in the elasticity of the spring is related to the tolerances of the materials and of the manufacturing processes.
In order to be able to remove the contacts from the connector body a particular extractor tool is necessary which, once inserted in the housing of the contact, compresses the spring by a sufficient amount to allow extraction of the contact.
To be able to retain the contacts firmly in their housings, springs whose strength and stiffness increases as the dimensions of the spring increase are necessary. Thus, in the case of large-sized contacts, it is necessary to oversize the spring and to apply greater stresses thereto for release (extraction) of the contacts. As a result insulating connector bodies with a greater mechanical strength must be made, to avoid breakage thereof during operation of the extractor tool.